Hitman
by Skovko
Summary: Roman is a hitman and has never messed up a job but he's never known his target beforehand either. Until now. He's staring at his past, a past he left because of the job. (Bunch of cameos/mentions in this: Stephanie McMahon, Triple H, Kevin Owens, Ember Moon, Elias, Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, Lio Rush, Mandy Rose, Buddy Murphy, Alexa Bliss and Dean Ambrose.)
1. Sleeping pills

Roman had made it unseen through the darkness as always. Nothing unusual in that. Despite his size he had always been good at sneaking around. It was part of his job. He couldn't afford being seen by anybody or he would be caught and with the amount of kills he had on his list, he would go away for life. He was a hitman after all.

He was dressed in black like always and wearing his trusted skimask that only had three small holes. Two for the eyes, one for the mouth. No one would ever be able to recognize him if they would come across him and his size along with the sight of his gun would make them run instantly.

He looked through the window and could see the outline of a desk in the room. Chris Jericho's home office. Many heated phonecalls had to go down inside that room. Chris was a workaholic that didn't leave his work at work. He was also the man who had hired Roman to take out his wife.

He knew absolutely nothing about Chris' wife. He wasn't interested in his victims. There was a time where he demanded names so he could look into them. A time where he pried himself in being a hitman with a conscience. That all changed a year and a half ago. He was still convinced he killed people that deserved it. Why else hire a hitman? He took out all the nasty people no other hitman would touch due to the amount of news coverage that would follow. He didn't care. If they deserved to die and the money was big enough, he would do it. And he never failed.

He bent down and lifted the brick that Chris had left below the window. No neighbours on this side of the house so he should be able to do it without anyone hearing. He needed it to look like a burglary gone wrong. She wouldn't wake up. She took sleeping pills and it would be quick to get in there, put a bullet in her head and mess up the home to make it look like she had surprised him. He jumped and almost dropped the brick as a cat next to him hissed.

"What?" He hissed back.

The cat hissed louder and he took out his gun and waved it in front of the feline as if it would know what it meant.

"Don't bring claws to a gunfight, kitty," he chuckled.

He turned back to the window and threw the brick. It went through nice and clean, leaving a hole big enough for him to stick his arm through and open the hasp on the window. He pushed the window open and crawled through. Easy enough.

He opened the office door and listened. Absolute silence. Of course there was. She should be sleeping, completely knocked out by her sleeping pills. He crept silently up the stairs towards the door Chris had said would lead to the bedroom. He pushed it open and the moonlight gave enough light in the room to see a phone on the nightstand. His eyes moved to the bed and he was caught by surprise when he found it empty. A bigger surprise came when something hard hit him over the back of his head. He stumbled down on his stomach along with the pieces of the broken lamp. Feet jumped over him, grabbed the phone and stormed out of the room.

"Fuck!" He growled.

She should be asleep. She was supposed to be asleep. He couldn't let her get away. She had a phone and undoubtedly she had already used it. He didn't have time to stage the house afterwards but she sure would die. He had never failed before and he wasn't about to start now. He got back up and stumbled out of the room, moving down the hallway towards her voice behind a closed door. He tried the handle and heard her let out a little scream on the other side.

"The police is on their way!" She shouted.

He wondered why the voice sounded so familiar but he couldn't stop and think about it. He had to be fast before the cops arrived. He lifted his boot and kicked the door. The wood cracked and gave way and she screamed again. Another kick and the door flew open. He raised his gun and froze.

"Please, don't kill me. Take whatever you want," she begged.

It wasn't her begging that made him stop. It was her. The one and only person he had ever allowed to get into his life. Also the one person he had hurt along with himself when he left her a year and a half ago.

 _"Julia."_

He only said her name in his mind but he wanted to speak it out loud so badly. He wanted to fall to his knees next to her and take her in his arms like he used to. Sirens sounded in the distance and he turned around and stormed back the way he had come and disappeared out in the darkness again.

He didn't stay away for many minutes though. He ran to his car, tore off his skimask and drove to her street as close to her house as he dared. It was a reckless and stupid move but he couldn't stop himself. He watched as the cops moved into her house and stayed in there for a while.

Julia of all people. He couldn't believe it. Why was she even married? Even if she had started dating Chris Jericho the day after Roman left her, it had still only been a year and a half. People didn't normally marry that fast, not to mention that her husband already wanted to get rid off her.

She looked like herself although her hair had gotten longer. Her medium brown hair had always been extremely long and thick. She wanted it abnormally long. Back then it had stopped right above her ass. In the bathroom she had been sitting on it while begging him not to kill her so it had to be below her ass now.

He felt guilty. If he hadn't left her back then, none of this would have happened. He just couldn't see another way out of it. He never let anyone inside. If the need for a woman got too strong, he would quickly find someone in a bar somewhere. He was an attractive man and the women usually threw themselves at him. Julia hadn't been another woman in a bar and she hadn't thrown herself at him either. They had met a random Tuesday in a random store and before he knew it, he had lost his heart to her.

He had to lie from the beginning. How could he tell her he was a hitman? Instead he said he worked for CIA and therefore couldn't talk about his job. She accepted that. He had found a guy about to travel for a year and therefore wanted to rent out his apartment with furniture and all for that year and he had taken the deal to make it look like it was his home. A place he could actually take her to.

The lies had worked for a while but as time went by, he knew it couldn't continue. He couldn't live like this forever. She started dropping hints when the year was coming to an end about where he was gonna live. Subtle questions but he knew what they meant. She was hoping he would bring up the possibility of living together. He wanted nothing more than to bring her to his place far away from the city but that would also mean stop lying and tell her the truth about who he was. She would never accept that.

The last night together they laid naked in her bed after sex. He ran his fingers around her stomach, drawing circles around her navel. It seemed like such a sweet moment but it would soon be ruined forever.

 _"I wanna ask you something."_

He could still hear her say those words and he knew their time was up. She was gonna ask him to move in with her and he couldn't. The lies had finally caught up with him. He had let out a loud sigh and started dressing. She had stared at him in wonder and once he had his clothes on, he had looked at her and let out his last lie. His biggest lie. The one lie he never wanted to say.

 _"I've met someone else and I'm in love with her. I didn't know how to tell you since I don't wanna hurt you but I can't do this anymore. I've been seeing her for the last three months and I wanna be with her. I'm gonna move in with her."_

He would never forget the look on her face. Pure hurt. She didn't try to hold back the tears. She didn't even say anything. She just looked at him while crying and he stood there for a second too long, wanting so badly to take her in his arms and hold her tight. Instead he turned around and left her behind forever. Forever apparently was only a year and a half. She had landed right on his doorstep.


	2. Conscience and heart

It was an odd morning to say the least. The police had managed to get a hold on Chris during the night and he had hurried home. Now it was just the two of them and he seemed frustrasted and annoyed. She had expected him to be angry and harvest some negative emotions about what had gone down in the middle of the night but something about him just seemed off.

"Where are you going?" He asked.  
"I gotta work," she answered.  
"No, you don't," he said.  
"My clients aren't people you can make rain checks with. You know that," she said.  
"I don't care. Someone broke in here and tried to kill you," he said.  
"I'm fine," she mustered a smile. "And now I'm going to work."

Roman had left during the night when Chris had returned home. He didn't trust himself close to that man. Not after learning his wife was Julia. After a shower and too much coffee, Roman had found himself back in front of their house a couple of hours later.

He had watched her leave and followed her. He knew she didn't notice him. In her world it had just been a burglar choosing a random house and not someone coming for her specifically. It gave him more range to follow her around and watch her work.

He watched her meet up with Stephanie McMahon, the wife of the big movie star Hunter Hearst Helmsley, and they disappeared into an expensive shop together. Julia had always had an eye for fashion which was funny since she didn't care much about it herself but she had a talent. One look at a person and she knew what would fit them.

That was actually how they had met. He had been in a store looking at some shirts and she had smiled warmly at him and told him to try on the parakeet green one. He had laughed since he had never heard anyone descripe a green colour as parakeet green but he had tried it on and knew she was right. After buying it he had gone straight back to her and asked her to join him for a cup for a coffee. Before he was through his coffee, he knew she would be trouble for him.

He had watched her build up her business, getting more and more famous clients. She was a personal shopper and dresser and often ended up becoming friends with some of them. Stephanie had to be concidered a friend since she decided to come along for the shopping and not just wait at home for Julia to come back with clothes for her. The only one doing the waiting this day was Roman.

He waited for hours for them to be done and then followed them to an Italian restaurant where they went in to have lunch together. He sat outside for nearly an hour before they finally came back out. They said goodbye to each other and he was happy to see Stephanie drive away first. He left his car and walked towards Julia. She was looking in her purse for her car keys and he grabbed her arm and started moving her away from the car.

"Don't make a scene," he said.  
"Roman?" She asked.  
"Just follow," he said.

She got into his car without a fight and they drove away in silence. The tension filled the car on the entire one hour ride but none of them spoke. He had to get her to safety and there was only one place he could think of. His house. That would also mean for him to come clean about things and he wasn't sure how she would take it. It wasn't until they parked in front of his house that the silence was broken.

"Where are we?" She asked.  
"My home. I've owned it for years, long before we met," he said.  
"You never told me," she said.  
"There's a lot of things I never told you," he sighed.

He turned his head and looked at her. He had never wanted her to find out but he couldn't take her inside the walls of his home without her knowing.

"I'm a hitman," he said.  
"But...CIA?" She asked.  
"Never worked there. I kill people for a living," he answered.

She kept quiet for a few seconds while looking at him.

"It was you last night, wasn't it?" She asked.  
"Yes," he admitted.  
"I knew I'd seen those eyes before. You looked at me for a few seconds before running away and I just knew I knew the person under the mask," she started crying. "Why, Roman? Why do you wanna kill me?"

He realized how it had to look from her point of view. He had kidnapped her and driven her out in the middle of nowhere and confessed to being the one in her house the night before. She had to think she was about to go under ground where no one would ever look for her.

"No, Julia, no!" He reached over and grabbed her hand. "I'm not gonna hurt you. Chris hired me. I had no idea it would be you."  
"But you were in my house to kill me," she said.  
"Fuck!" He growled.

He jumped out of the car, ran to her side and dragged her out of the car. He wrapped his arms around her but she just stood there with her arms hanging down her sides.

"I used to only go after the people that truly deserved it," he said.  
"Who deserves to die like that?" She asked.  
"Many people," he sighed. "After leaving you, nothing seemed to matter anymore and along the way I fucked up because I took an assignment for you but you don't deserve it. I know you. You're not a bad person."  
"You asshole!" She shouted.

She pushed him away and he took a step backwards.

"But any other wife deserves it?" She spat in anger. "It could have been anybody like me and you wouldn't have given a fuck about if she deserved it or not. Who the hell made you god? You don't have the right to control life and death!"

He grabbed her arm and dragged her into the house. She tried getting out of his grip but he wasn't having it. She needed to see it for herself. He dragged her into a room, took the key hidden in a lamp on the wall and unlocked a desk drawer. He grabbed some papers and slammed the first one down on the table in front of her.

"Kevin Owens. A politician with a thing for young girls. Preferably between the age of 8 and 10," he said.

Her mouth dropped open and he slammed the next piece of paper down.

"Ember Moon. She was the leader of the orphanage but she would drug the older kids between 15 and 18 and have men come in and rape them while they slept," he said. "Do you want me to continue? Yes, I took them all out but they all fucking deserved it."  
"Please, stop," she whispered.

He tossed the papers back in the desk drawer, locked it and placed the key back in the lamp.

"So you see, I might be a hitman but I only take the right cases. I got a conscience. I got a fucking heart!" He said angrily.

He reached for her and pulled her close.

"But I lost my heart to you and you still have it," he said more softly.  
"You left me," she reminded him.  
"Because I couldn't tell you about all of this. There never was another woman," he placed a hand on her cheek. "Only you. Always you."

She surprised him when she grabbed his hair and yanked him down to kiss him. She was aggresive, biting, pulling his hair, scratching, a side of her he had never seen before. He understood her anger and allowed it. He took every bite and scratch while managing to steer her from the office and into the bedroom.

She took full control and even though he could have easily overpowered her, he allowed it to happen. His clothes left his body fast followed by her own clothes. How he would have loved to undress her but he knew he had to let it play out how she wanted it. To be with her again had just yesterday seemed like a dream that would never come true.

She skipped the foreplay, jumped up on him and guided him inside her. She was already dripping wet and he moaned in pleasure as she sank down on him and started moving. She was mad and it came out with the way she was fucking him as if she hoped she could fuck him to pieces. Her nails ran over his throat and he felt the sharp pain as she continued running them over his skin, making him bleed down on his pillow. He didn't care. He just kept his hands on her hips, holding on tight so she couldn't jump off and run away, enjoying finally being with her again.

"Come on, you asshole!" She sneered.  
"You first," he stuck out his tongue.  
"Fuck you!" She sneered.

He didn't care if he would anger her further. He swung her down on her back and was fast on top of her. He fucked her just as hard as she had tried doing to him, holding her hands down so she couldn't scratch anymore. She arched her back with a loud moan, crying out in pleasure as she came undone. He let go off her hands, pushed his arms under her, leaned down to kiss her neck while he followed her over the edge. His thrusts became more lazy and then finally stopped.

For a little while he laid there, his lips still moving over her neck, until he finally lifted his head enough to kiss her. He slowly rolled down next to her before she broke the kiss and got out of bed.

"Where are you going?" He asked.  
"To clean up. Where's the bathroom?" She asked.  
"Right next door," he said.  
"Thanks. Don't follow," she said.

She left the room and he heard the door to the bathroom close. Shortly after the water started running. He got out of bed and walked over to look in the mirror.

"Damn!" He muttered.

She had gotten him good with those nails. He needed to be cleaned up and his pillowcase needed to be changed. She had said not to follow her but he wasn't planning on listening. He left the bedroom and walked out in the bathroom to join her in the shower.

"Roman!" She gasped surprised.  
"I'm not fucking leaving you alone," he wrapped his arms around her. "I'm not leaving you. Never again."


	3. Dirty work

Roman yawned and stretched. He hadn't meant to fall asleep after their shower together but it had just happened. After drying them both and changing his pillowcase, they had gone back to bed. He had held her tight and fallen asleep with her in his arms. Now he woke up alone and a look at the clock showed he had been out for almost two hours. Lack of sleep the night before had knocked him out longer than a usual nap took.

He sat up and looked at the floor. Her clothes was gone. He left the bed, put on his boxers and pants and went out to search for her. It didn't take him many seconds to find her in his office. He had done nothing to hide from her where the key to the desk drawer was and she sat there by the desk with all the papers in a neat, little pile in front of her. She had read them all. He knew that. And it was alright. He was done keeping anything from her.

"Are you okay?" He asked.  
"All these people," she sighed.  
"Had it coming," he finished her sentence.

She drummed her fingers on the desk and he noticed his car keys in front of her.

"Planning on stealing my car?" He asked amused.  
"I was," she answered.

She closed her eyes and shook her head lightly. It was a lot to take in. One day earlier she was married, unhappily married but married nonetheless. Today she was in the house belonging to her ex, the one man who made her love so hard and then broke her heart.

"Why did you marry him?" He asked.  
"What?" She opened her eyes again.  
"I left you a year and a half ago. How come you're already married?" He asked.  
"I didn't care," she shrugged. "Chris was a distraction from the heartache you left me with and I just went along with whatever he wanted. He made me forget you for a little while. He brought another type of pain but at least I could deal with that pain because it was right in front of me. You left me with pain I couldn't get rid off and I had no way to get it out since you were gone. I couldn't find you anywhere and believe me, I tried."  
"Even after saying I found someone else?" He asked surprised.  
"Yes," she sighed. "I just wanted to see her. To see who the mysterious woman was that was better than me. I wanted to know what I could have done differently to keep you."

He crossed his arms and leaned against the door frame. He knew better than to walk over to her and touch her until she had gotten it off her chest. He needed to hear what she had to say.

"You were like sunken in the ground. Gone. And that's when I realized that I knew nothing about you at all. You never introduced me to any friends or family. Is your name even Roman?" She stared at him.  
"Yes," he said.  
"So around two weeks later I met Chris. He was fun that night and we did a lot of shots. He made me forget you for a few hours and I went home with him. Three months later I married him. Nothing special. Just him and I with one witness at the city hall," she said.  
"You're not happy," he said.  
"No, I'm not. I take sleeping pills just to be in bed with him. I can't sleep when he's home and the pills make me relax while he has sex with me. He's never cared about my pleasure so it doesn't matter to him that I just lay there. As long as he gets off, he's happy," she said.

He pushed himself off the door frame and walked over to her. He sat down on the edge of the desk in front of her and reached a hand forward to stroke her cheek.

"Is that why you were awake last night? You only take pills when he's home?" He asked.  
"Yes," she answered. "I heard the window smash and someone move up the stairs so I grabbed the lamp and waited behind the door."  
"You got me good. It hurt like a bitch," he chuckled.

He moved his hand to run his fingers through her hair.

"It got very long," he smiled.  
"I always said I would let it grow like crazy," she reminded him.  
"You did," he sighed. "Why does Chris want you dead? Why not just divorce you?"  
"I know all his dirty, little secrets," she said.  
"And what are they?" He asked.  
"To the world he's a succesful owner of a bunch of gyms. Behind the facade he runs a drug ring. He never wanted me to know but you know how I always snoop around when I get bored," she said.

He laughed and shook his head. He knew. He had worked so hard to keep his secrets from her.

"Honestly, I overheard him and his friend one day and I started digging around after that conversation. I didn't care before that. I still don't. I don't love him. I never have," she said.  
"Julia," he leaned a bit forward.

She stopped him by putting her hand down on the stack of papers to draw his attention towards them.

"All these," she said. "They're ranging from before you met me until you left me. There's nothing there from after you left me."  
"I stopped caring," he said.  
"But you still tell yourself you're taking the right cases. How do you know, Roman? How can you be sure you haven't killed someone like me?" She asked angrily.  
"I... I can't," he said dumbfounded.  
"I'd like for you to drive me back to my car," she said.  
"No!" He frowned.

She grabbed the car keys and pressed them into the palm of his hand.

"Take me back!" She demanded.  
"Julia, you don't get it. I didn't go through with the job but that's not gonna stop Chris from hiring someone else. He wants you dead," he said.  
"So what's your brilliant plan?" She asked.  
"Stay here. You're gonna be a housewife that disappeared or we can stage your death," he answered.  
"And then what? Keep me locked up here like a fucking doll only you get to play with?" She shouted.  
"Well... kind of," he knew the words were wrong the moment they left him.

She pushed the chair back, stood up and stared at him with hard eyes.

"You either take me back or I'll walk," she said.

He knew he couldn't keep her there against her will. He wouldn't start chaining her up just to keep her safe. It would take her hours to walk back and he wouldn't let her out on her own in this deserted area she didn't know.

"Let me grab my shirt," he said.

It was another awkward one hour car ride where none of them spoke. Too soon he found himself back at the parking lot where her car still was. He had parked his car but she still hadn't left it. For a minute they sat there in silence while he watched her and waited for her to either speak or get out of the car.

"How did he find you?" She finally asked.  
"The dark web," he answered.  
"Chris is not smart enough to use that. He can hardly turn on a computer," she said.  
"It wasn't him although he claimed it was. I'm a fucking genius with computers but you already know that so within five minutes I was staring at a person through his webcam without him knowing and five minutes later I knew enough about him. It was a guy named Christian. I did meet up with Chris afterwards and he pretended he was the one I had been talking to online," he said.  
"Christian," she sighed. "The witness at our wedding. Chris' best friend. Also the friend I overheard in conversation when I learned about the drug ring. He does all the dirty work with getting customers."  
"And all other dirty work as well apparently," Roman said.  
"He didn't try to kill me though," she said.

She turned her head and looked at him. His eyes were filled with remorse but he couldn't argue with that fact. He had been in her house to kill her. There was no way around the truth.

"I never would have," he said. "Even if you had been asleep."

He reached a hand towards her but she slapped it away.

"It doesn't matter. You said it yourself. You stopped caring. I don't know how many people you killed over the last year and a half that mattered and apparently neither do you. How can I ever trust you?" She said.  
"Julia," he said.  
"How can you trust yourself?" She asked.

She opened the car door and got out. He was about to say something but she slammed the door and walked towards her own car without looking back. He watched as she got into her car and drove away, never once looking back at him. His heart broke all over in that moment.


	4. Feeling lonely

Roman raced home after she had left the parking lot. Everything he had tried to bury deep inside flushed through him. All the emotions he thought he could put a lid on. Anger, heartbreak, pain... and all the love. How he loved her. How he had always loved her and always would love her. No other person had ever made it through his walls. He knew the day he went into this line of work that it was a lonely path to walk and that he couldn't let anyone walk next to him. When it came to her, he hadn't been able to stop her.

He stomped inside his home, threw the car keys on the desk and turned on his laptop. She was right. How could he trust himself when he had allowed himself to stop caring? He was still a killer with a conscience. He had just lost his way when he lost her. He needed to be able to trust himself. More importantly, he needed her to be able to trust him.

He might not have cared to get the names of his victims over the last year and a half but he remembered the dates perfectly. The list wasn't long. It wasn't like he went out and killed someone every week or even every month. Far from. The payment was always good enough to keep him more than just floating. He lived like a fucking king in his house out here and he was more than set for the rest of his life. None of that mattered in that moment though. All that mattered was looking through old news articles to find the names of the few people who had met their demise by his hands that he hadn't cared to know the names of. He was gonna know as much about them as he could before the day was over.

It took around four hours to gather all the information he needed and then he hacked his way back into Christian's webcam. He needed to keep an eye on that man. He had found Roman and he could easily find someone else. Someone who wouldn't care. Someone who would get the job done.

"There you are, you ugly fucker," he stared at the man on the screen. "What are you up to these days? Are you planning on hurting my woman? If you even as much as think about it, it'll be the last thing you ever do."

Chris wasn't home when Julia arrived home. She didn't expect him to either. He was hardly ever home and she preferred it that way. Although the house was big and she was alone in it most of the time, she felt more lonely when he was inside it too.

"God damn it, Roman, why?" She asked sadly out in the empty air.

She had never thought she would see him again and she wasn't even sure what hurt the most. The lies he had told back then, the truth about who he was or just the fact that she had seen him and been with him. She didn't even know why she had jumped him like a crazy woman and fucked the living daylight out of him. It was like all the anger and pain from him leaving her gathered forces inside her and wanted to punish him.

"Punish him with sex," she snorted at herself. "Yeah, that ought to teach him a lesson."

The thought alone was ridiculous but it didn't change the fact what had happened between them. A lot had happened over the last day and it hadn't even been 24 hours yet.

"Julia?" Chris' voice sounded through the house.  
"In the kitchen," she called back.

She looked at her phone and realized it was already close to 11 PM. She had just been sitting there thinking about Roman, forgetting everything around her. She looked up as Chris and Christian entered the kitchen.

"Hi honey," Chris said.

He walked over and kissed her cheek. She shrinked inside. It was all so fake.

"You've eaten?" She asked.  
"Yeah, we grabbed a bite at the Mexican place," Chris answered.  
"Good," she nodded.

She could play this fake game with him. After all, she had been doing it for a year and a half. Although a lot had changed now that she knew he wanted her dead but she couldn't blow up in his face with the truth, especially not when he was with Christian.

"Why don't you take a pill and go to bed? We're gonna have a couple of beers and some guy time," Chris said.  
"Good idea," she said.  
"Goodnight," Christian said.

She gave the man one quick look before disappearing out of the kitchen. She had always known she couldn't trust him but she had never thought he would be in that deep with Chris' crazy plans. She wouldn't even have thought that Chris would go that far.

She walked up the stairs to the master bathroom connected with the bedroom. She took out the bottle of sleeping pills and stared at it. The pills had been a weird friend for so long but now they seemed like an enemy. She unscrewed the lid, poured the pills in the toilet and flushed. Never again would she allow herself to be vulnerable to an attack. Instead she took a small amount of the vitamin pills and poured them in the glass for the sleeping pills. Chris would never know the difference. Better be safe than sorry.

She finished in the bathroom and walked back into the bedroom. She put on a little, banana yellow nightgown and laid down under the covers. She laid like that for a while, just staring out in the darkness, not able to find any rest. The light from her phone suddenly illuminated the room and she reached over to find a text from an unknown number.

 _"If you think I'm gonna leave you alone, you are sorely mistaken."_

She didn't need to ask who it was. Even though she should feel like he was trespassing, and he sure had been the night before, a little smile still crept up on her face as she texted him back.

 _"How did you get my number?"_

A minute went by before another text came through.

 _"Do you really need to ask? This is what I do for a living. I find people and do things to them... and you already know what I wanna do to you. Way more than I did earlier today. But that's a conversation for another day. I need to talk to you face to face. I have something you need to see."_

She was about to text him back that it would never happen. That he should do what he did a year and a half ago. Walk away and forget about her. She never got to put down one single word because she heard footsteps coming up the stairs and towards the bedroom. She rolled over so her back was against the door and hid the phone under the covers. The last thing she needed was for Chris to see those texts. The door opened and Chris and Christian entered, keeping their voices low as they spoke.

"Good girl. Sound asleep," Chris said.  
"What went wrong last night?" Christian asked.  
"I don't know. She said she stayed up later than normal," Chris answered.  
"But he broke down the bathroom door down the hall," Christian said.  
"The sirens scared him off," Chris said.  
"So what are you gonna do? Do you need me to find someone else or do you still count on him to get the job done?" Christian asked.  
"I already paid the motherfucker so he better get the job done," Chris answered.

The door closed and she finally felt like she could breathe as she found herself alone in the darkness again. She pulled her phone back up and sent a text to Roman.

 _"Come find me tomorrow."_


	5. Live your dream

Julia wasn't working the next day but she still needed to leave the house. She couldn't have Roman anywhere near it and risk someone seeing him. Once Chris had left for work, she put on a knee long, white dress with thin, horizontal, red and blue stripes. She had owned that dress for a long time but never worn it. She had wanted to throw it out but she hadn't been able to.

She went out to her car and drove to the mall. She didn't see him follow her there but she knew he was close. She could feel it. She had to hand it to him, he was good at his job. She casually strode through the mall before walking into one of the biggest clothes departments and disappearing down in the far end while pretending to look through a rack of leather skirts.

"I gave you that dress for your birthday," his voice came from behind her.

She smiled but didn't turn around. She hadn't been sure he would remember it.

"And then you left me four days later," she said.  
"You still kept the dress," he said.  
"First time wearing it actually," she shrugged. "I couldn't even remember where I had it from."

His hands landed on her hips and his mouth dropped down to her ear.

"Bullshit," he said amused. "You wore it to remind me, didn't you?"  
"Yes," she admitted.  
"To remind me and punish me," he kissed her neck. "I'm fucking hurting here, baby girl."

He kissed lower down her neck and she let out a little moan before remembering where they were. She spun around and stepped out of his arms.

"No!" She crossed her arms. "I didn't agree to meet you for another round of sex. You said you had something to show me and that's the only reason we're here. So show me."  
"Right," he ran a hand through his hair. "Follow me."

He walked out of the store and she followed two steps behind, hoping no one would notice they were actually together. She followed him out in the parking lot to the far end where he had parked his car. He unlocked the door and they both got in. She snatched the car keys from his hand before he could do anything else.

"I'm not going anywhere with you," she said.  
"Do you think that little of me?" He chuckled.  
"You kidnapped me yesterday and you broke into my house to kill me the night before," she said dryly. "So forgive me if I don't exactly trust your motives."

He sighed and leaned over to open the gloves department. He took out a few pieces of papers and leaned back in his seat.

"You raised some good questions in my mind yesterday. How do I know if I haven't killed someone like you? How can I trust myself? How can you trust me?" He said. "There's only been three since I left you. You were supposed to be number four."

He handed her the first piece of paper.

"Elias. Upcoming musician. Also found pleasure in raping the fans his bodyguards brought backstage. Along with those bodyguard, I might add. I kind of hope someone will hire me to take down those two as well," he said.

He handed her the next piece of paper.

"Becky Lynch. The leader of a human trafficking ring along with..." He handed her the third piece of paper. "Charlotte Flair. I was booked for those two together."

She stared at the three pieces of papers in her hands. As fucked up as his livelihood was, he still had only killed people that deserved it.

"You're the only one I messed up with," he said.  
"I guess that makes me special," she said.  
"I know you're being sarcastic right now but you are special," he smiled. "I never should have let you go. I should have told you the truth from the beginning even though it meant you leaving me."  
"What makes you think I would have done that?" She asked.  
"Please! Don't lie to me. No one would stay after finding out," he said.  
"I'm here right now," she said.  
"That's different because you were thrown into the line of fire and no matter how fucked up the situation is, you feel more safe with me than with your husband," he said.

She looked down but he wasn't gonna let her out of that one. He reached over and pulled her close, kissing her without letting her get away.

"Say it," he rasped in her ear. "Say how you really feel."  
"I feel safe with you," she whimpered.  
"Let me take you away. Let me protect you," he said.

He let out a low growl as he tried to pull her from her seat and over on his lap.

"No!" She snapped.

She placed her hands on his chest and pushed away from him.

"I can't," she said.  
"I love you," he said.  
"Don't say that," she sighed.  
"I love you," he repeated.  
"Roman, don't," she pleaded.  
"I love you, Julia," he said. "Tell me you don't love me and I'll let you leave."  
"I can't and you already know that," she said.  
"Yeah, I know," he smirked.

She looked down at the papers again. They were a bit crumpled after him trying to pull her over on his lap. She took them and handed them back to him along with his car keys.

"Would you ever be able to walk away?" She asked.  
"I used to think so," he answered. "Back when I had you."  
"And now?" She asked.

He let out a sigh and reached over to throw the papers back in the gloves department. His hand landed on her knee and his fingers trailed up her thigh lightly as he leaned back.

"I'm a simple man and all I ever dreamed about was a simple life with you. A kitchen garden and some fruit trees. Maybe even some chickens to provide eggs. Anything to avoid going shopping too often and be around people. People really aren't my thing," he said.  
"No shit!" She snorted. "I know you don't like being around them but that doesn't mean you have to kill them."

He burst out laughing and she couldn't help but laugh a little either. Shortly after their laughter died down and his fingers drummed on her thigh.

"I made the garden," he said.  
"You did?" She asked.  
"Got almost every herb and every vegetable your heart can desire not to mention the amount of fruit trees. I put a lot of work and effort into that garden after I left you. It was the only thing keeping me sane," he said. "I would have shown it to you yesterday but you were in a hurry to get out."  
"You can't blame me for that," she said.  
"No, I can't," he said sadly.

He took her hand and lifted it up to kiss the back of it.

"I'd still like to show it to you," there was a hint of hope in his voice.  
"Roman," she pulled her hand away. "I don't think that's a good idea."  
"I told you yesterday, I'm not leaving you alone," he said.  
"I'm married," she said.  
"And he's trying to become a widower," he reminded her.

He grabbed her head and forced a hard, closed mouth kiss on her.

"Tell me what do to," he begged. "I'll do anything."  
"Walk away," she said.  
"I can't," his voice broke. "I love you too much. I lost you once and I won't lose you again."  
"You didn't lose me. You chose to leave me," she said.  
"I'm so sorry, baby girl. You gotta believe me. I'm so fucking sorry. Just stay with me," he said.

She opened the car door and slid out before he could hold her back.

"No, please," he cried.  
"It's for the better, Roman," she said. "Go home. Walk away from me and the life you're living. Tend to your garden and buy those chickens. Live the simple life you always dreamed about but please stop whatever you're doing right now."  
"Julia," he grabbed her hand through the open door.  
"This life is gonna get you killed," she pulled her hand away. "I do love you, Roman. I never stopped. I don't wanna see you dead no matter what you've done to make some people think you deserve it."

She closed the door and walked back to her car. He watched her leave like the day before and then started his own car. Instead of driving home, he drove to a farmer he had looked up online many times. The man sold chickens, chicken houses and items to build a fence around it. She was right. He needed to live his dream to the fullest. But chickens wouldn't be enough to fulfill that dream. She was in it too.


	6. How to raise chickens

It took Roman the entire day to put up the fence and the chicken house before it was good enough for his liking. Perfection. Julia had always said he never did anything halfheartedly. She was right about that and just how right she was, she was about to find out. No way was he going to leave her alone like she had asked. He simply couldn't or wouldn't.

He threw a ready meal in the oven to heat up while he took a shower. Afterwards he poked around the mushy dish that was supposed to be mashed potatoes with sausages and peas. It probably had been once. It was tasteless and uneventful. He missed Julia's cooking and he missed cooking for her. There was no fun in cooking for himself so he rarely did that.

He finished the meal and cleaned up before walking to his office. He sat down in front of his laptop and stared at the screen. Christian had tried reaching out to him hours ago in the little chatbox on his webpage.

 _"You need to get the job done. Chris."_

He was still pretending to be Chris online. Roman snorted at the thought of Chris being scared to lose face if Roman knew he wasn't good with computers.

"Alright, you ugly fucker, let's see what you're up to," Roman said.

He hacked his way into Christian's computer again and watched the man for a little while. He wasn't doing anything but watching porn in the current moment. At least he didn't have his dick out in the open. Roman clicked his way back to the chatbox. It was almost as if Christian was trying to threaten him.

 _"Or what?"_

His reply was fearless. These guys should know better than to try to mess with a hitman. He watched how Christian moved around on the chair, paused his porn movie and looked at the chatbox before typing back.

 _"I paid you a lot of money for the job. I expect you to get it done."_

This man was ever so stupid. Roman ran a hand down his face, not believing the audacity of this man. Maybe Christian thought that as long as he pretended to be Chris, only Chris would be punished if he messed up in his name. Roman typed a response back.

 _"You also said she would be far gone in dreamland. Guess that makes you a liar. I don't like when people lie... Christian."_

The expression on Christian's face was priceless and Roman chuckled.

"Fuck!" Christian yelled.  
"Fuck indeed," Roman chuckled.

He typed in one final message to Christian.

 _"Tell Chris I'll find him once things have died down a bit. Don't do anything stupid and don't try to contact me again. And stop looking so stupid."_

Christian stared at the screen and then up to his webcam before pulling the wire out of his computer. His face disappeared from Roman's laptop. It didn't matter that he couldn't see Christian. He could still follow everything the other man did on his computer.

"I'm not gonna miss your face, you ugly fucker," Roman said.

Three days went by where he didn't contact her. It didn't mean he wasn't watching her. He followed her everyday and he had a feeling she knew. The way she would roll her eyes in his direction as if she had spotted him or at least knew he was there.

On the third day she walked into a bookstore and he followed as always. He had been meaning to go there anyway. He walked to the section with animal books while watching her. He looked down for a few seconds to find the book he was looking for and when he looked up again, she was gone. He took a step out in the open and was surprised when her voice came from behind him.

"Stop following me," she said.

He turned around with a smile and held up a book on how to raise chickens.

"I'm not following you," he lied.  
"Yes, you are but at least you got a good cover story today," she tapped the book. "You've finally decided to get chickens?"  
"Yeah, I set up a place for them and everything. All I need now is the chickens," he answered.  
"That's good for you," she smiled. "So go buy it."  
"I'll be behind you in the line," he smirked.

He wasn't gonna let her slip away. Not if he could help it. She rolled her eyes and walked away with the book she was holding. He followed and stood behind her in line. He walked close to her and leaned down a bit.

"I'm not gonna go away," he said.  
"I kind of figured that out by now," she said.  
"I want you," he said.  
"And I want you to stop whatever you're doing," she said.  
"If I stop working, will you come back?" He asked.  
"Don't ask me that," she said. "I want you to stop no matter if I come back or not. It shouldn't be because of me. It should be because it's the right thing to do."

She took a step forward and paid for her book.

"Wait for me," he mumbled as she stepped away.

He stepped up to the counter and was forced to take his eyes from her as he paid. He wasn't even surprised when he turned around shortly after and found her gone. He hurried out of the shop and saw her running further down the street. He sprinted towards her and caught up with her in no time, grabbing her arm and pulling her into a small alley.

"Roman, please!" She begged.  
"I'll stop, okay? I got plenty of money out of it already. I'm damn good at what I do but I'll walk away," he said.  
"Promise me," she said.  
"I'm telling you, I'll stop," he said.  
"Promise me!" She gritted her teeth.  
"I promise. No more," he said.  
"Thank you," she said.  
"But then you gotta promise me to get out of there fast. If you don't want my help, just get in your fucking car and drive," he said.  
"I'll work on a divorce," she said.  
"No," he grabbed both her arms. "We both know he'll never let you go like that. Not with what you know. You need to run and hide."  
"I'm not gonna run like a fucking fugitive," she said. "I have a life and I actually like it. Well, most of it. Chris can go fuck himself."

He let out a chuckle and then pushed her up against the wall and kissed her. She didn't struggle against him but just ran her fingers up and down his arms.

"I'll lose you again if you stay with him but next time I won't be able to find you again," he said.  
"I can't deal with you talking like that," she said.  
"But it's the truth. If you stay for much longer, I'll end up putting flowers on your grave," he said. "Why won't you listen to me, baby girl?"  
"Because you left me," she said.

He just looked at her with sorrow in his eyes as she gently pushed him away and walked out of the alley. It didn't matter how hard he tried or what he said. She believed him, she knew for a fact he was telling the truth, but he lost the right to everything involving her when he left her. That was the message she was sending. She was too damn stubborn for her own good and he was not gonna back down no matter how hard she fought him.


	7. Joining forces

A week went by the same way. Roman spent most of his days following her around but keeping a safe distance where she wouldn't see him although he knew she knew he was there. His evenings were spent with watching Christian's every move on his computer.

And of course there were the chickens. He had bought six of them. For some reason watching those little creatures walk around in his garden brought him some sort of inner peace and happiness. It felt right. Most of his dream had come true. Now he only needed her.

That night he almost choked on his beer when he watched what Christian was doing. He had warned the man not to do anything stupid but that was exactly what he was doing. He was trying to find his way around the dark web in hopes of finding another hitman. He wasn't in luck on the first night but Roman knew it wouldn't last forever. After all, Christian had found him. He needed to act and he needed to do it fast.

He first hacked his way into Chris Jericho's computer. He needed to locate the man's schedule to find out which one of his gyms he would be at the next day. It was easy enough. The man used his own birthday as password like a total newbie. After that he hacked his way into the computer of that gym and turned off the security system, both the alarm and the cameras.

He dressed in black and found his trusted skimask. That skimask had been with him for many years and was the only item he had never switched out in his career. Once dressed in the right attire, he drove to the gym and parked far enough away for no one to think his car had anything to do with the gym. He walked around the dark building until he found what looked like the office. He broke in through the window, took a quick look around before pulling off the skimask and sitting down on Chris' chair. And then he waited.

"I'm off to work, honey," Chris said.

He kissed Julia's cheek and walked out of the house. Once out in his car with the handsfree set, he called Christian while driving.

"Any luck?" He asked first thing.  
"None yet but it took me some time to find the last one too," Christian answered. "I'll find someone. Don't worry."  
"Better hope the next one doesn't run with my money too," Chris growled.  
"You can afford it, you bastard," Christian laughed.

Chris unlocked the door to the gym and looked at the alarm system on the wall. He usually typed in a code to make it turn off but it was already turned off. He hadn't been there the night before himself but he needed to have a talk with the young guy Lio Rush that he had hired recently. There was no way the kid would get away with forgetting something like that. Someone could have broken in and stolen things from him.

"Fucking kid!" He growled in displeasure.

He walked into his office and dropped his bag on the floor while his jaw dropped open at the man sitting at his desk. They had met once but that was enough for Chris to already fear him. Roman stood up calmly and walked over to Chris.

"We have some unfinished business," he said.  
"We do?" Chris asked nervously.  
"Unless you wanna call it off and try getting your money back but it wasn't a fucking deposit, Chris. I don't pay back," Roman said. "Ever."  
"No no, of course not, sir," Chris said.  
"Sir," Roman chuckled. "I like that."  
"Chris?" A female voice sounded through the gym.  
"Shit, she's here early," Chris said.

Roman cocked an eyebrow at Chris.

"It's Mandy. She's one of our crossfit trainers and she likes to come in early to train," Chris explained.  
"Chris? Where are you?" Mandy called again.

Roman couldn't care less who the woman was. All he cared about was not being seen by her.

"Tomorrow at noon," Roman gave Chris an intense stare. "You and your little buddy Christian will be taking a trip to look at attractions up at Hill Castle."  
"Never been there before," Chris said.  
"I don't fucking care, Chris," Roman sneered. "You two be there by lunch time. We'll meet inside."

He slipped out through the window before Mandy made her presence known inside the office. He walked calmly back to his car and got in. It was an hour drive home and he knew exactly what he had to do. Chris was never gonna stop and Julia was never gonna listen. It was up to him to make things right.

Once back in his house, he called up a guy he knew. He wasn't sure if the guy could be categorized as a friend but it was probably the closest one to that title that he had. Their paths had crossed unexpectedly in the line of work. It turned out they had both been booked for the same house. Roman had been booked for the husband Buddy Murphy while the other guy had been booked for the wife Alexa Bliss. A couple that ran a dog fighting ring and sold illegal weapons to anyone who would pay enough. Roman had been stalking through their garden and basically walked straight into the other man and after holding each other at gunpoint for a little while, they quickly learned they were booked for the same thing. They had joined forces on the case and he could really use the guy's help now with his expertise. Roman knew computers, the other guy knew other things. He took out his phone and called him.

"Hello?" A raspy voice came through.  
"Dean?" Roman asked.  
"Depending on who's asking," Dean answered.  
"It's Roman," Roman said.  
"Hey you son of a bitch. How's it hanging?" Dean asked.  
"I got a job for you," Roman said.  
"A hitman hiring another hitman. Tough gig?" Dean asked.  
"The worst," Roman answered. "It's tomorrow."  
"Shit, that soon? Not giving me time to do research?" Dean asked.  
"I got everything you need but I can't pull it off alone," Roman answered. "Can I count on you?"  
"Yeah, man, always," Dean said.


	8. Hill Castle

Chris and Christian entered Hill Castle while nervously looking around. If they weren't about to have a meeting with a hitman, maybe they would have enjoyed the surroundings a little.

Roman spotted them the second they walked into the room. He had chosen the biggest room with most people. He was over by a window in the corner, leaning his ass against the window shelf but still blending in. He gave a nod in Chris' direction the second Chris' eyes landed on him.

"Over there," Chris said lowly.

Roman pointed at the paintings on the wall and Chris and Christian got the hint right away. They pretended to look at them while slowly walking towards Roman so it wouldn't look suspicious. They finally reached the corner where he stood waiting.

"We're here," Chris said.  
"I got eyes," Roman said.  
"Sorry, sir," Chris looked around. "Why did you ask us to come here?"  
"To give you an alibi," Roman said.  
"Alibi?" Chris asked.

Roman looked around again just to be sure no one was close enough to listen.

"Turn off your cell phones," Roman said.  
"Why?" Christian asked.  
"So no one can get a hold of you," Roman answered. "You're here to look at the beautiful paintings. You had no idea what was going on at home."

The two men took out their phones and turned them off.

"That wasn't so hard, was it?" Roman asked.

Christian sent him a deathglare but didn't say anything.

"The price went up," Roman said.  
"Fuck that!" Chris growled lowly.  
"You sure you wanna get on my bad side, Chris?" Roman asked.  
"No, sir. Sorry, sir," Chris quickly said.  
"I didn't think so," Roman said.

He turned around and revealed a laptop he had placed in the window shelf. He quickly clicked his way to Chris' netbank and took a small step to the side.

"Same amount as last time to the same account," he said.

The account could never be traced. Roman had made sure to do everything right that day many years ago when he decided to start doing this. Chris growled lowly in his throat as he wired the money. To Roman it was never about the money in the first place. It was just an excuse to get them to Hill Castle.

"This isn't right!" Christian hissed.  
"You two fucked up the first time around. I did my job and I got paid. Now you're booking me all over again and this time we're doing it my way," Roman said.  
"What are you gonna do?" Chris said.  
"Nothing you should worry your head with," Roman closed the laptop. "You two stay here for a couple of hours. Make sure to really enjoy these old paintings. You were here all afternoon and didn't leave until it turned out to be too late."

Chris grinned at Roman and nodded.

"I hear you, man," he said.  
"Don't call me that. I'm not your friend," Roman said.  
"Sorry, sir," Chris looked down.  
"Now fuck off and look at some paintings," Roman said.

Chris and Christian hurried away and Roman turned his focus back to the laptop. He couldn't switch the cameras off in the castle for too long without them noticing and starting to fix the problem. He had hacked into the system at home and found the blind spot he was currently standing in. He had turned off the cameras for the minute it had taken him to get into the castle and move to the blind spot. He turned them off again and walked out of the castle and back to the car. He got in on the passenger side, turned the cameras on again and looked at Dean in the driver's seat.

"All done?" He asked.  
"Yep," Dean grinned. "Those brakes are gonna malfunction on their way down the hill. It's gonna be an ugly crash."  
"You gotta teach me one day how to do that," Roman said.  
"And miss out on you calling me for help another time?" Dean snickered.  
"Start driving, idiot," Roman said.

Dean took them down the steep hill while Roman took out his phone and called her. He hadn't expected her to pick up but surprisingly she did.

"I told you to leave me alone," she said.  
"Then why did you pick up?" He asked.

She didn't answer and he could just imagine the look on her face. It made him smile.

"Why are you calling?" She finally asked.  
"I know I made a promise to you never to kill again and technically it wasn't me," he started.  
"And technically they aren't dead yet," Dean chimed in.

Roman slapped Dean across the back of his head which only made Dean snicker again.

"What did you do, Roman?" She asked.  
"It's the last time, Julia. I swear," he answered.  
"What did you do?" She raised her voice.  
"It was either you or him and I can't lose you," he started shaking. "Not again and not like that. Hate me all you want, baby girl, but by the end of the day you're gonna be a widow."  
"Roman, no!" She yelled.  
"I'm sorry," he whispered.

He hung up and shut off his phone completely. It would stay that way until the news showed the crash later. He knew she would try calling and he had made a promise never to lie to her again so if she demanded to know what he had done, he wouldn't be able to keep it from her and he couldn't risk her finding out where Chris and Christian were so that she would try to stop it. It was the same reason he had made them turn off their phones. So that she couldn't get a hold of them and tell them what was up.

"You must really love her," Dean said.  
"I do," Roman said.  
"This line of work doesn't allow us to have loved ones," Dean said.  
"That's why I'm walking away," Roman said. "I'm taking down my webpage when I get home and from this second I'm officially retired."  
"I should do as you. Find someone, preferably blonde, and walk away and enjoy her. This line of work makes you so lonely," Dean said.  
"I know," Roman sighed.  
"So incredibly lonely," Dean said.


	9. Enjoy the moment

It was a damn ugly crash. Chris and Christian had been driving way too fast down the hill and had had no chance in hell to escape unharmed. They had crashed directly into the mountain side. The car was almost half the size from the hard impact and the bodies had to be cut free and carried out in the pieces the crash had left them in.

Roman had turned on his phone again but he didn't call or text her. He wasn't gonna follow her around or reach out to her in any way. It was all up to her now. He had done the only thing he could do to truly set her free without her having to hide her entire life. Chris would never be able to hurt her again and she would be free to live the life she wanted to. With or without Roman in it.

That evening he sat on his porch with a beer in his hand, his phone next to him and his laptop in his lap. He watched the chickens run around in the garden, catching the last couple of hours of sunshine, while following the news on his laptop. No survivors. That was all that mattered to him.

The days went by one at the time. He followed everything he could about it. It was deemed a freak accident. The brakes had malfunctioned and two people had unfortunately lost their lives to it. Nothing anybody could do about it and it was no one's fault. Only three people in the world knew the truth about that.

No one got to see the bodies. They were too damaged. Julia had only been shown Chris' arm with his tattoos when she went to the hospital to identify him. Who came to identify Christian, Roman could care less about.

The funerals were held separately four days later in different churches. He didn't go. It would be disrespectful to show up to one of his victims' funeral, not to mention flat out dangerous. And he doubted she would want him there no matter how she felt about it all.

After the funeral the news died down about the accident. Chris might have owned a lot of gyms but that didn't exactly make him famous so the news outlets found other stories to chase. There was a mention a few days after the funeral that the widow Julia Jericho had sold all the gyms to someone from another state who wanted to take over and put his name on them. Roman couldn't care less. He wasn't planning on ever going to one of them.

He spent the next 14 days taking care of his garden and making it even better. The chickens provided some sort of company and comfort. He named them all and walked around talking to them. He even thought about maybe getting a dog. A rottweiler maybe. A dog that looked fierce but was a sweetheart inside. Or maybe adopting a poor crossbreed from a shelter. Someone that was way over the puppy days and just needed a lap to cuddle up in and some love. Someone that was alone like he was.

He looked at his laptop and saw that she had put the house up for sale. It made sense. So much had gone down inside those walls. So much pain. Why would she ever want to stay there? He wondered where she would move to. Her webpage was still up and running although it said she didn't have time to take in any new clients. He put his laptop down with a sigh, downed his glass of lemonade and walked out in the garden to plant the mango tree he had bought earlier that day.

He knew it was her favourite fruit and for some strange reason, or maybe that was the only reason, he had always walked around them when he was out buying fruit trees. As if it would hurt too much to get the one thing she would have loved the most. Now he wanted the pain. He wanted to feel as close to her as he could no matter how much it might hurt. He finished planting the tree and looked at his work.

"Looking good," she said.

He jumped at the sound of her voice and spun around faster than ever.

"Hi Roman," she waved from her spot halfway between him and the porch.

He ran to her but stopped in front of her as she held up her hands.

"I... Ehm... I put the house up for sale," she said nervously.  
"I know. I saw it online," he said.  
"Wanna buy it?" She asked.  
"Fat chance," he chuckled.

She gave him a little smile but still kept her distance.

"I've been thinking a lot these last couple of weeks. My head is fucking killing me by now," she said.  
"And what did you come up with?" He asked.  
"I'm not quitting my job," she said.  
"I would never ask you to," he said.  
"I'm toning it down though," she said. "Keeping the current clients but not taking in new ones unless one of the old ones leave."  
"And us?" He asked.  
"I like the idea of a simple life but I also like to go out sometimes and you better fucking dress up and go out with me when I tell you to. I won't be kept locked away or I'll go mad," she said.  
"Just don't take me out for Mexican food. My stomach always acts up if I eat that no matter how good it tastes," he said.

She let out a laugh. She remembered one of their first dates when he had been too proud to tell her that and she had made spicy tacos for him. The date had ended horribly with him in the bathroom and his pride hurting like hell.

"So that's it?" He asked.  
"That's it," she nodded. "If you'll still have me."

With the biggest smile on his face, he lifted her up and kissed her. He carried her inside fast or else he would have thrown her down on the grass and taken her there and she deserved better than that.

"I'll always want you," he said.  
"I love you, Roman," she said as she held on tight to him. "I never stopped but you fucking broke me."  
"I won't hurt you. Not ever again. I promise. I love you so much," he said.

He put her down on the bed and undressed her while leaving kisses over her exposed skin. He managed to get out of his own clothes as well while keeping his focus on her body, never letting his lips or fingers leave it for too many seconds.

"Roman, please," she reached for him.

He climbed up her body, kisses still being left all the way up, until his lips connected with hers. He gently laid down on top of her and guided himself inside her. Last time she had been so angry and fucked his brains out. This time was different. There was no more anger left inside her. She wanted to love him and be loved back like they used to.

She closed her eyes and moaned as he bottomed out inside her. He kept kissing and caressing her while his hips worked her with long, hard thrusts. Her nails were back on his skin but she didn't open him up this time. It was more loving and titillating this time. Her moans got louder and she bit her lip while her hands found his shoulders.

"Cum, baby girl," he encouraged her. "Let me feel you."

She exploded around him in soft tones. Her crying was so sweet and she arched her back enough to drive him crazy. He sped up a bit, kissing her collarbone while she cried out, following her over the edge right after. Like the last time he laid there while leaving small kisses on her neck before finally rolling down next to her. He kept an arm around her and pulled her close.

"I need a shower," she said.  
"Am I allowed to follow this time?" He joked.  
"It didn't work for me to say no the last time so I might as well give in," she joked back. "Besides, you're kind of dirty from the garden work."  
"And sweaty too," he kissed her cheek. "Just like you, baby girl. And I promise you we'll be just as sweaty again later."

She placed a hand on his cheek and moved in to give him a soft kiss.

"Shower," she said.  
"One minute," he tightened his arm around her. "I just wanna enjoy this moment for one more minute. It feels so good to hold you like this."


End file.
